Silevethiel

After her father’s murder, a princess fights to save herself and her kingdom in O’Connor’s (The Lost Heir, 2013) engaging fantasy tale.

Princess Irewen Donríel of the human kingdom of Dargon spent the first 20 years of her life within the walls of her castle home, shunned by her extended family due to her late mother’s secret elven descent. After her cousin kills her father and makes an attempt on her life, Irewen is rescued by Prince Laegon of the Wood Elf kingdom of Silverden, who is accompanied by his Guardian, a lion named Brégen, and Dame Silevethiel, the Guardians’ leader. When the princess reveals her secret heritage and begins to discover that she has powers unique to two different elven races, Laegon recalls an ancient elven prophecy that says that a woman will reunite the four feuding elven races—Wood Elves, Light Elves, Sea Elves and Green Elves. Irewen accepts the prophecy and decides to further investigate her heritage, learn to fight and stop being the damsel in distress she was raised to be. Along the way, she and Silevethiel develop an emotional telepathic bond of mutual protection. With her friends and the Wood Elven community on her side, Irewen prepares for the long fight ahead. In this first book of the planned Vaelinel Trilogy, O’Connor creates a complex heroine who not only defies common tropes of female fantasy characters, but willfully overcomes them. The bonds between Guardians and Protectors offer a refreshing break from the romances (and bromances) which typically populate fantasy novels. Overall, this exotic story is sure to entice adult aficionados of such animated series as Avatar: The Last Airbender.